What's the best music you've ever played?

I am currently playing with three bands: one is a rock/pop singer/songwriter, the other is a singer from the Ivory Coast ( West Africa). Also, I am a member in a generally persistent but not ready for prime time jazz trio - just because. Except for the jazz, I'm playing mostly simple music with plenty of freedom to create.

Between these three bands (But mostly the West African one), I feel I'm exercising all aspects of my technique and knowlegde and stretching them in the process.

I feel I'm playing my best and playing the best quality music ever in my musical journey so far. And it's only going to get better.

2 questions:

What's the best music you ever played?

How satisfied are you with the music in your current band? Would you change it? How?

john turnerYou don't want to do that. Trust me.Staff MemberAdministrator

by far, my own. may sound arrogant, but think about it - it would be pretty bad if i was writing music that i didn't like more than someone else's. if i don't like my own stuff why should i expect anyone else to? besides, in my own music i can put everything i want to into it, everything i feel like playing, and express myself in the process. how cool is that?

How satisfied are you with the music in your current band? Would you change it? How?

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i'm very satisfied with my current band, and the only way i would change it is to be gigging solidly and making some dough in the process.

I'm just trying to keep improving my technical and musical skills,, i know im playing good stuff now, for my age and all,, but God willing I'll continue to improve til im ancient (or dead). I recently joined a band that writes good songs,,, good guitar,, good vox and great drums.. Probably my only complaint is that almost all the songs are fairly mellow tempos,, that should change hopefully!!

1) Getting to play a concert-type gig with Lynne Arriale's trio in 2001. I got a call about two weeks before saying she had booked the gig and her regular bassist couldn't make the date. She sent me a bunch of charts, and I had to learn a bunch of tunes and arrangements that she had recorded on her last two albums. The bassists on the albums were Scott Colley and (gulp) John Pattitucci. Needless to say, I practiced a lot, and fortunately it went well. She and Steve Davis play on such a high level it's unreal. The whole experience was a total dream come true.

2) Two concerts earlier this year with Java Men, the original jazz group I play in. I don't know why, but the settings, audience, and vibe was just perfect at both. Everybody was on, and everybody kept their ears open. Some of the best music I've ever made.

3) Last Monday night, I got to play a set on the faculty concert of the Aebersold camp with Eric Alexander, Don Braden, David Hazeltine, and Steve Davis. What a gas! Those guys play in another dimension, and generate more energy onstage than I've ever felt performing before.

I'm not sure how you mean this question? Do you mean, which band from your present or past had the best songs/arrangements? Or do you mean, when were you playing your best music from the bass?

If you meant the former interpretation, than I would say it was a previous original band I was in. The mix of talent was surreal, and the arrangements were superlative. The songs were very very strong and because of the makeup of the band, (piano, bass, drums, vocals), I had so much room to explore the harmonies of the song. I have some very very weak recordings of the group, (just an old cassette player clicked onto "record" during some early rehearsals, after just getting charts), and they serve as a reminder of how strong the music was, but how the individuals just couldn't make the situation work.

If you meant the latter interpretation, I would have to say that my best playing has been recently. I've begun to find my voice on the instrument, and while I'm still in the wee little hours of my musical growth, what I'm hearing in my head is actually coming out on the instrument! Go figure. Not only that, but with my current band, I really hear the song, not just a bassline. I think the music is strong here as well, but my playing has grown to an exciting point for me.

How satisfied are you with the music in your current band? Would you change it? How?

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I'm very satisfied. The original material is excellent. The songwriter is wonderful. The covers that we have chosen are very good as well. What would I change? The drummer could be more consistent, and the band could become more serious about the music. The talent here is very good, and the music is fun, fresh, and original. Crowds have adored the music, we just need to push on to the next step.

I'm happiest right now. The songs we have are good, they show of all our influences differently, but we all like em. Our composing ability is fairly good, but I think our strength as a band lies in our ability to jam. We don't explore it that much, as the scene around here is full of jam bands that get one idea and jam off it, whereas we all write at home and get an idea of what we want the other instruments to be donig, bring it to practice and it gets mutated. Thats cool for me, I like planning innadvance. Our ability to jam has boosted my confidence quite a bit, although it may be because we rarely do it that it turns out so well - fresh fingers.

Changes? I'd like us to have better equipment. I'd also like my drummer to stop putting his girlfriend before the band, even though it has only started interfering recently. I'd like my guitarist, who is thinking of quitting, to not quit and get his **** together, and stop moaning about being versatile. If he quits, life as a three piece abounds.

Jamming in a trio situation with my best friend (a GREAT drummer) and a guitarist who migrated from bass but plays very groovy and song-oriented as a result. That guy had so many song ideas stored that we could almost create songs on the spot! We had a handful of songs on the first run. Incredible. It just flowed.

Think King's X meets Will Lee (though the Lee comparison really falls flat). I used to have a tape of it, but I seem to have lost it.

Long answer but I've got to see the police this afternoon and I'm killing time (victim not perp btw).

1 The best ever music ive played?

Mine.

Ive played bass for anybody who had me for 20 years. Ive mainly played as an unpaid or little paid sideman and in church. I never got into writing.

In 2000 I reinvented myself as a multi-instrumentalist home recording nerd and never looked back. I originally wrote for myself and then formed a band to perform it. Bands are better suited to songs (mainly) so I wrote some and had to sing them (no one else would). I still do instrumental stuff on my own. I'm curently working on arrangements with my bass teacher (Steve Lawson-heard of him?).

How satisfied are you with the music in your current band ? Would you change it? How.

Ok I'm technically in a load of bands at the moment so by frequency of playing...

My church band. Due to recent changes in leadership the music is different. It has (subjective opinion) lost its edge. I wouldn't change it. It's not my job. I have spoken with the leader and we are both cool with it. I still play and still support the band leader.

Slacker. I play guitar in this one and I'm the leader/writer/singer/bill payer so I'm biased. The music could be more structured and the other guitarist (who lurks here) could be reigned in a bit. However, he is capable of some really off the wall improvisation and I like that. Of the four of us the drummer is the only one who doesnt play bass in a band.

CO3 This was/is a jazz funk blues fusion improvised band that is in semi-retirement. I play bass in this band and the sheer freedom is overwhelming-what do I play? Been working on that with Steve. Music is ok if you like that sort of thing. Its one of those "like playing dont listen to it" things, if you understand me.

Just Ten I think this ones dead now. This was a local interchurch band with some excellent pro/semi pro Gospel players in it (as in "happy day"). I really learnt a lot (about groove in particular).

My originals band, Lucid Dreamer. We write the music, and I have liberty to write my own lines, and play as much or little as I want. I play to serve the songs. Sometimes that means eighth note root, 5, sometimes that means an ostinato, sometimes it means syncopation with the drummer and lots of fills. Whatever works for the song.

Yes, I've done the youth group thing too, and that was probably some of the best. when people are getting up and dancing, you realize why you spend all that time practicing. Apart from that, I've had the opportunity to play with some local legends, and found that the best music is when I'm challenged by the other people I play with.

The best music I've ever played may have been my last band. The drummer was an exceptional talent, which means the world to me. The guitarists were both great, one had tremendous feel and skill at improvising and the other was a brilliant writer. The singer was cool, good "growly" vocals that really fit the music. Currently, I have two options. I have my old stand by art-rock/lo-fi thing: great guitar, Ok drums, mediocre vocals, but a lot of originality, great composition and far better than average lyrics. I also have all the freedom I could want in that band. I think the singer has a weird muffle to his ear though, he hears everything as too bassy, not too much bass, but too much bass frequency. The other option: is heavier, great drums, great singer, great guitar, weaker lyrics and weaker composition. I may have to quit one, it's really quite confusing actually. I think the heavier band has far better odds of making it somewhere, but the other band is maybe a little more fulfilling.

Bursting into tears at the sheer personal emotiveness of it all during a gig with my hardcore band last year (Clear Air Turbulence). It was the most liberating and touching thing that's ever happened to me, despite the fact that about five hundred people had to listen to my sobbingly-wretched vocals for a good fifteen minutes
I figure any music than can move me to unavoidable and genuine teariness (even if half of it was my own creation. The music, that is) is music worth playing to other people. That sudden blinding realisation of the power of organised audio on the human spirit was, perhaps, a milestone in any evolution I might have had since then - musical or otherwise.

Some of the best (and worst!) music I've ever played have been nothing to do with bands at all - at Jazz jam sessions/workshops. So, for example, there is a local "Jazz Co-operative" which is sadly dormant now but which is just about people coming along and playing/improvising over tunes.

Occasionally a "dream band" has come together quite by chance and played together really well - so I have met and played with some great drummers and there have been times when our understanding has just "taken off" quite spontaneously when playing a tune and together with some great soloing have made for a great musical experience.

I can remember 2 or 3 great trumpet players who have come along intermittently and it has been a pleasure to play bass supporting them when we have had a good overall rhythm section. It's also great to get compliments from some of the pro Jazz musicians who have come along. This is the sort of thing that makes me think I really must get early retirement and take up Jazz full-time!

I just joined a cover band and we played our first gig last weekend. It was extremely satisfying because we played songs I like and the crowd was into it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing in my originals band too, but it seems like with a cover band you don't have to put as much work into it to get the same amount of satisfaction.